Strange Music
Strange Music, Inc. is an American independent record label specializing in hip hop music. It was founded in 1999 by CEO and President Travis O'Guin and co-CEO/flagship artist Aaron "Tech N9ne" Yates. History Travis O'Guin was a self-made millionaire in the furniture industry when he met Kansas City, Missouri MC Tech N9ne. N9ne's career had been languishing in development hell for some time, having seen multiple lucrative deals with the likes of QDIII and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis go south despite the cosigns of many peers in the hip hop industry, notably Sway & King Tech of the nationally syndicated Wake Up Show. Tech had received some widespread exposure via the Wake Up Show, but too many commitments pulling him in too many different directions was keeping his career from really taking off. O'Guin was already a fan of Tech's, and disapproved of how his career had been handled. Having already had some interest in expanding his business sense into the world of music, O'Guin approached Tech with a proposition: a 50/50 deal and a chance to own his own label, with O'Guin acting as president and Tech as VP. Travis bought Tech out of his existing commitments and Strange Music was born, named for Tech's favorite band, the Doors, and their hits "Strange Days" and "People Are Strange". Despite some early false starts (a mishandled deal with JCOR Entertainment to release Tech's national debut, Anghellic,'' as well as a joint venture with MSC Entertainment that, according to Tech, lost him money on ''Absolute Power, his second national album), the label became an extremely lucrative and internationally renowned success. It now boasts two subsidiaries (Strange Music West and Strange Lane) and nearly a dozen artists and has moved over two million records independently, landing the title of the world's number one independent hip hop label. Strange Music West The label's earliest subsidiary, Strange Music West, is headed by Dave Weiner, a name formerly associated with Priority Records as well as JCOR and MSC. Weiner signed its first artist, Sacramento, California-based rapper Brotha Lynch Hung, to the label in 2009 and also played an integral part in signing Miami, Florida band ¡Mayday! SM West, despite being an official subsidiary, is rarely mentioned as such, and Brotha Lynch Hung is generally considered an artist attached to the larger label. Strange Lane Strange Lane was founded in 2010 as a subsidiary to Strange Music, signing its first artist, Baton Rouge, Louisiana rapper Young Bleed, in early 2012. Following Bleed's departure from the label in early 2012, the imprint's roster is empty. It is unclear what the future of the imprint is at this time, as it has scarcely been mentioned since Bleed's departure. Roster Tech N9ne has been with the label since its inception. The first artist signed was Kansas City, Missouri's Kutt Calhoun in 2004, followed by fellow Kansas City native Krizz Kaliko in 2006. These three are arguably the three most visible artists aligned with the label, all having been closely associated since the label's inception and all playing a significant role in the early output of Strange. Kansas City rap duo Skatterman & Snug Brim also signed with the label in 2004. Michigan-based rap-rock duo Project: Deadman also signed in 2004, and although now considered defunct due to producer Mike E. Clark's commitment to fellow independent label Psychopathic Records, are possibly still signed to Strange Music as a group. This assumption is due to the fact that they promoted a sophomore album that was indefinitely shelved, and Prozak remains signed to Strange, indicating that their contract may have been simply put on hold. Rapcore band Critical Bill briefly aligned with the label, with Tech plugging their 2007 album, Downtown the World, as an upcoming Strange Music release on the bonus disc for his 2006 album Everready (The Religion). Ultimately, the band released the album on MSC exclusively. Midwestern horrorcore duo Grave Plott signed a distribution deal with the label in 2008, releasing only one album before moving on to other projects. Brooklyn, New York rapper Ill Bill courted the label for a time in 2008, and they advertised his album The Hour of Reprisal as an upcoming release, though Bill ultimately released the project on Fat Beats records. On February 7, 2009, it was announced that Kansas City rapper Big Scoob had joined the stable. On February 9, 2009, Skatterman & Snug Brim were reported to have left the label after fulfilling their commitment. In May 2009, Brotha Lynch Hung officially signed with Strange to a three-album deal. He announced in 2013 that he had chosen to renew his contract for further work with the label. On July 19, 2009, Sacramento, California rapper Cognito signed with the label. His contract was not renewed after lackluster sales of his debut, Automatic. September 27, 2010, XXL Magazine announced that Watts, California rapper Jay Rock had signed with the label after an intense bidding war. Young Bleed signed to the Strange Lane imprint at some point during early 2011, releasing one album before leaving in early 2012 to pursue a solo venture. Miami sextet ¡Mayday! signed to Strange in early 2011 as well. St. Louis, Missouri rapper Stevie Stone signed to the label on March 17, 2011. In December 2011, Saginaw, Michigan's Prozak signed an official solo contract with Strange Music. Prozak had worked closely with the label for years before, first as a promoter and then as one-half of Project: Deadman, even releasing a solo album in 2008 on a distribution deal, before finally signing a multi-album contract. In January 2012, the label signed Kansas City rap duo Ces Cru after much speculation due to their inclusion on the label showcase, Tech N9ne's 2011 album Collabos: Welcome To Strangeland. In mid-2012, ¡Mayday! MC Wrekonize announced he would be inking a solo deal with Strange and releasing his debut album in 2013. In August 2012, the label announced the signing of Georgia rapper Rittz, affiliated with Yelawolf and his Slumerican crew. On February 7, 2014, Tech N9ne announced on Shade 45 radio show "Sway In the Morning" that he had signed Los Angeles rapper Murs. Location and Expansion Strange Music's main office is headquartered in Lee's Summit, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City. Originally occupying simply an office in Blue Springs, the label expanded to their current home, which now includes a large warehouse, a fleet of vehicles for touring and promotion, and recently even expanded to include its own recording studio, Strangeland Studios. Strangeland seeks to be Kansas City's choice recording studio for artists and directors visiting the Kansas City area, already having accomodated artists such as Wale in addition to the Strange Music stable.